Knight of Vacuo: a RWBY Story
by Aaron47
Summary: Knight of Vacuo is a fan-made story based in the world of Rooster Teeth's RWBY, created by Monty Oum. The story revolves around a young man named Aes (pronounced Ace) from the desert region between the kingdoms of Vacuo and Vale, who is forced into the war between the monstrous Grimm and the Huntsmen who protect humanity.
1. Volume 1

Sand. That's all Aes saw in the barren waste that was the Vytal Desert. Nothing but a lot of sand.

It was his greatest enemy in life. Bandits, the White Fang, even the creatures of Grimm; none of them seemed to attack him with such consistency and ferocity.

The stuff got everywhere: in his jumpsuits, in his boots, in his prosthetics. Aes couldn't remember a time when he couldn't feel the stinking sands grinding in his mechanical arms. He'd had them for as long as he could remember; nothing past age eleven.

That's when the knights had found him; seven years ago, lying in the desert, with only shoulder stubs for arms, and bronzed skin from the sun.

He couldn't remember anything, not even his own name. They'd named him Aes. Apparently, the word meant copper, after his burnt skin when they'd found him. Ironically, his skin had lightened up over the years, indicating that he was most likely from Vale in the east of Vytal.

He had received prosthetic arms from the Schnee Dust Company a month after he moved into the caves of the Knights. Apparently their captain had asked for them personally from Mr. Schnee himself.

Captain Schwartz was a good soul; he'd taken Aes back to the caves and treated him like a brother, taught him to fight, activated his aura. That's what Schwartz had called it. All Aes knew was that it was rare, and it came in handy when a sand saur took a swipe at you.

The Vacuo Knights were no more than mercenaries, under the payroll of the Schnees and their massive dust empire. The arrangement was simple; protect shipping lines between Vacuo and Vale from the Grimm and White Fang, and see the villagers of Vacuo get food and weapons. They didn't care much about anything else.

The Schnees spared no expense for the group of no more than 500 men. The governments wouldn't help them; the Huntsmen wouldn't help them. They were alone, until the Schnees gave them supplies: rifles, dune cars, and three air ships capable of flying over the entire desert in just a day.

Of course, fuel and ammunition were required, so the group tried to be practical and conservative with their movements, striking in critical areas where shipping lines ran, Grimm swarmed, or White Fang made their bases.

It was on one such mission that Aes found himself now.

He looked over the barren sand dunes, and considered just how many death stalkers and sand saurs were hiding under the sand.

He pushed his dark hair away from the steel mask that protected his eyes, as one of the soldiers in the raiding party walked up to him.

"Just got a scan in," the soldier said, "we count three death stalkers."

"Better count on four," Aes replied, "How much you want to bet one of 'em is sitting still to avoid the scans."

The soldier nodded and held a hand to his helmet. The Knights had been given some armament to go over their jumpsuits: helmets with visors and radios, armor for the shoulders and thighs, and the ever important rifle strapped to every man's back.

Aes only bothered with the mask for his eyes and the radio in his ear. It was pointless to try and protect metal arms, and anything else would just slow him down. Besides, he had his aura to protect him.

"Ok," said the soldier, "We're ready to do this on your mark."

"Go for it," a voice said via radio.

A huge blast of sand erupted from the charge the three dune cars had placed about fifty meters away. Aes braced himself, along with the fifty men standing behind him, rifles in hand.

Suddenly, two death stalkers flew from the sand, a flurry of legs and claws.

"Looks like we really pissed them off."

Two blades, each about a foot long, sprung from Aes' wrists over his hands. He squatted down as the soldiers opened fire with thunder dust rounds.

Three dune cars, each with chain guns, behind the soldiers, opened fire with a hailstorm of bullets. The first rounds from the soldiers weren't enough to pierce the beasts' hide, but they hurt enough to keep the stalkers in place while the chain guns tore them to shreds.

"Hold!" the commander shouted from behind the ranks. Nothing but the wind could be heard, as the stalkers, now two piles of writhing mess, withered and died.

"Yeah, we got 'em!" a soldier shouted. His victory was short-lived. A great claw snapped from the sand and pulled him under.

"Aw hell," Aes muttered, and he began to sprint towards the dune cars.

"They're underneath us!" the commander shouted, but he was cut short as the fourth stalker sprung from underneath the car, tipping it's large frame and thick tires over like a toy. It's stinger came down hard on the commander.

The stinger tipped another car over like a child's toy, and a claw stabbed into the third's engine block. As it faced the remaining soldiers, Aes was on it.

He jabbed and swung, and elegant dance of blades and force like a sharp wind in a sandstorm. He stung at the beast's eyes, and dodged as the stinger came down on top of his head. A sticky launcher opened up from Aes' right forearm, and blew the stinger off the tail. It stuck on the stalker's head and dug down from the force of the explosion.

Aes' sticky launcher was top of the line. Mr. Schnee had taken a particular interest in the Vale native, and had spared no expense on his weapons. The sticky launcher used a barrel to send explosive dust gel to any target accurately inside twenty meters, which promptly detonated on Aes' commands via his aura.

Aes spun to see the other soldiers trying to deal with the fourth and final death stalker. It was like the stalkers knew how to beat them, like they were learning. The first two had been a distraction, the third snuck up behind them, and the fourth had stayed still, knowing that it could avoid detection and take out the only real threat, the chain guns, which were now in ruin.

They hadn't counted on Aes.

He sprinted towards the last stalker, and launched a barrage of sticky ammo on the beast's head. It wouldn't do much damage, but Aes didn't need it to. He just had to get in close.

But the stalker was too fast. It brought down two claws and a stinger to crush Aes. It would have killed a normal soldier, but Aes wasn't normal. His semblance, as Schwartz called it, was creating short range force fields from his aura.

He crossed his arms and braced as the claws and stinger crashed into the force field. Confused and angry, it struck again and again. Aes couldn't hold for long, but he didn't need long. His men were already throwing charges all over the monster.

"Clear!" shouted a soldier. Aes dove away just as fire and death erupted. The death stalker was nothing but ash now.

Aes panted for air as he withdrew his blades and rested his hands on his knees. The soldiers gathered as many supplies from the fallen as they could, and started the long walk back to the caves. After a minute, Aes followed them.

* * *

Schwartz was not happy. He knew he was going to get an earful from Mr. Schnee after losing over thirty men and all three dune cars, not to mention a lot of ammo, explosives, and the chain guns.

Mr. Schnee was trying hard to keep his assets away from Ironwood and the Atlas military, which meant avoiding air and sea travel for the costly railways between Vale and Vacuo. Any supplies the Knights needed were cheap; getting it to them took time and money.

Just a few months ago, a large shipment with food and supplies had been hijacked and destroyed by Adam Taurus and one of his cronies. Not only was ammo running low for the Knights, but the punk Taurus had ensured the southern Vacuo villages would go without fresh food until the next train. That shipment was supposed to last the region at least six months; times would be tough without it. And as they grew weaker, the Grimm only got stronger.

Schwartz sighed as Aes walked up, poking at his own prosthetic arms with a screwdriver.

"Don't do that kid; those are expensive."

"Dam sand is all up in here. You know I can't fight like this."

"You can't fight without arms either. You'll damage the nerve endings."

Aes' arms were top of the line, with nerve connectivity in the shoulders for complete mental control over the mechanics. Aes had received three sets of arms over the years, each either being outgrown or damaged in combat, and each required at least a week for the nerve endings to gain complete control. Now that Aes had stopped growing, he could get comfortable with a modern, state of the art pair. What he couldn't get comfortable with was all the sand.

Schwartz sighed again and ran a weathered hand through his gray hair as Aes continued to tinker with his arms.

"I got the report from the battle," Schwartz said, "Real smooth getting ambushed like that."

"I told them there were probably four," Aes said indifferently, "These things happen out there."

Aes stopped tinkering, and lowered his voice.

"You know it's getting worse out there. Those Grimm are going to ransack more villages if we can't hold them in the desert, and now the White Fang up north and out east are stopping rail shipments from Vale. We can't keep this up."

Schwartz shook his head.

"I know what the problems are Aes, but we can't go toe to toe with the White Fang, not without the go ahead from Schnee."

Aes frowned. He didn't care one way or the other what Schnee thought, and the matter remained that they needed supplies.

"All we need is a little air reconnaissance, and a single air drop. A night raid on that northern base that we _know_ they have, and the White Fang are out of our hair for at least a few months."

"It's not that simple boy. The White Fang are tough, and every air shipment that gets past Ironwood ends up shot down by the Fang on the northern shoreline."

Aes shook his head, muttering about the "dam sand" as he walked off, continuing with his tinkering. He didn't care about Faunus or the Schnee Dust Company or the White Fang. All he really cared about was those villagers. Farmers, doctors, miners, all with families, and all of them under threat, and with no warriors or Huntsmen to protect them.

* * *

Schwartz stood in the small comms room facing the view screen. Schnee didn't prefer face to face interaction, even over the communications relay. Instead, a snowflake illuminated the screen, the symbol of the Schnee dynasty.

Surprisingly, the events of the raid didn't anger Schnee as much as Schwartz thought they would. Schnee had other matters to attend to.

"I'm going to risk another air supply drop," the collected voice of Mr. Schnee crackled over the relay. "I've got an assignment for you, and some special supplies."

Schwartz could barely hide the surprise in his voice.

"But you said we couldn't risk that! Air drops are only going to get shut down by Ironwood or shot down by the White Fang-"

"Under normal circumstances, you would be correct. However, I need your help for this mission Schwartz. I need man-power, and I can't risk a stock upset by going to Ironwood for help. My daughter, Winter Schnee, has been kidnapped by the White Fang."

Schwartz frowned and shook his head. Things always change when family becomes involved.

"How did it happen, and what are we supposed to do about it?"

"Winter was on an air ship heading to Vale two days ago, but was intercepted by the White Fang. Apparently, they were being assisted by a dust user of tremendous power. We don't know where the White Fang are getting their supplies, or how they managed to find out she was aboard, and at this point, I don't have the luxury of trusting anyone else but you. I want a squad of fifty of your finest men to take three of my new air ships and rescue Winter. From the rescue, you are to head directly to Vacuo. Do not stop until you reach the city. There, my agents can get here safely back to Atlas."

"What makes you think you can trust the agents at Vacuo?"

"They're like you Schwartz. They have honor, and they need the money."

Schwartz shook his head; Aes had called it. That boy had an uncanny sense of the future. All Schnee had needed was a little push to make it happen.

"Alright, we'll go to this northern base that you _somehow_ know about, we rough up the White Fang, and we-"

"No. Winter is your priority. Nothing else is part of this mission."

Schwartz frowned at the screen.

"As long as we're there, we might as well clear them out. This could swing the fight in our favor. We should strike while we know where they are-"

"I said no. I can't risk Winter being hurt. My own family doesn't even know she's missing, and if word gets out that she was hurt or even killed, things could turn ugly for everyone. Get her back to me safely. We can deal with the White Fang later."

Schwartz could only shrug and accept. "Anything else?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. I want to talk to Aes."

This day kept getting weirder and weirder. Schnee had never wanted to talk to Aes directly before, but hey, stranger things had happened, and just in the last hour.

"I'll get him."

Aes walked into the room a few minutes later.

"You wanted to talk to me?"

"Yes Aes, thank you for speaking to me. Has Schwartz briefed you on your next assignment?"

"He mentioned it, yeah."

"Well, I'm sending new supplies, in addition to a new prototype vehicle even Ironwood doesn't know about. It's been built with you in mind. It's the Aeon Mark IV stealth jet. I didn't mention it to Schwartz because he might try to get one of his pilots to fly it. The ship is a one-man evacuation craft built to get Huntsmen out of dicey situations. It can be used to evacuate up to two people if necessary, though the ride is cramped. I want you to fly the craft, and if necessary, evacuate my daughter personally. Do this, and the jet is yours."

Aes' eyes widened. He'd always enjoyed flying the air ships, and a stealth jet sounded awesome. What a prize. The ship would be great for reconnaissance, and could help save a lot of lives out in the back woods and wildlands by the villages.

"Alright, you got a deal. I bring your daughter back; you let me keep the jet. Anything else?"

"I've been considering the nature of your position Aes, and I have a proposition. I've been in touch with Professor Ozpin of Beacon Academy. At my expense, he has agreed to let you attend, in the hopes that you will receive your huntsman certification."

That made Aes mad. What had the Huntsmen ever done for him? He was needed out here. He didn't need to take a class to learn how to kill Grimm.

"No deal. Why should I waste my time with classes when the fight's out here?"

"Having a certified huntsman on your side could add some accreditation to your organization. Governments would take you seriously, and you would be more likely to gain long term traction in getting help to those outside the kingdoms. But I don't need to explain my reasoning to you. Remember, you are on my payroll, and you'll do as I say. You're an experienced and powerful fighter Aes, but you lack discipline. Maybe you will learn something at Beacon."

Aes sighed. Maybe Schnee was right, but either way, this was not the hill Aes wanted to die on.

"I'm curious. Why send me to Beacon and not Ironwood's academy in Atlas?"

"Ironwood is headed to Beacon for the Vytal Festival as we speak, and as you know, I'm not anxious to have all my assets controlled by the military. I've also had good dialogue with Professor Ozpin. I'm confident Beacon is the right fit for you. We'll talk again once your mission is complete. Expect air ships to arrive in the next 18 hours."

The screen went dark as Schnee hung up. Aes shrugged and left the room. He and Schwartz had a lot to talk about.

* * *

Fifty men aboard three top of the line air ships cruised at 500 feet over the hot desert, escorted by the small, black Aeon. The shattered moon reflected off the sands and glinted overhead as the strike team raced towards the newly discovered White Fang base.

The base was located on the cliffs northeast of the desert, making it an ideal hub for hiding White Fang from air surveillance while simultaneously giving them access to both northern rail lines to Vacuo and sea trade to Vale.

The Aeon cruised around the air ships. The ships were fast, but the Aeon had to hold back just to stay in formation with them. The jet's single engine irked to sprint ahead, but Aes kept it in check. The jet had two wings and two vertical fins for stability, and a cockpit over a single chain gun. The jet was built to evacuate valuable living resources rather than stay in combat long, and its sleek design made it hard to spot by enemies, whether they be human, Faunus, or Grimm.

The jet could hover like an air ship, but it belonged at high altitudes with great speed. Keeping it so low to the ground at low speeds was a struggle, but it was Schwartz' plan.

Ignoring Schnee's orders, Schwartz and Aes had decided to arrange a little "accident" for the White Fang, all made possible by the rough blueprints of the base that Schnee had managed to procure, somehow.

The three dropships would land at the cave docking bay off of the cliff, and one of the ships' crews would remain there to guard the escape.

A second team would go in to rescue Winter. They had been instructed to succeed at all cost, and leave behind any who wasn't keeping up.

A third team had brought along all the high grade explosives the Knights could spare. These would be placed at critical weight bearing columns in the base's lower levels near the water.

The Knights wanted to make sure the Fang had no home to return to after this.

Schwartz and Aes had discovered a vent shaft on the southern end of the base, farther inland, which the Aeon could actually fit in while in hover mode. Aes would sneak in to the base from there, creating general havoc and pulling the Fang in two directions during the assault, increasing the odds that at least one team would succeed in the mission.

Aes was also a good fallback, in case the mission went south and Winter needed evac from the other side of the base.

The key hitch in the plan was that the Knights didn't know where Winter was being kept. She could be anywhere in the base, but Aes hoped that by sneaking in first, he could locate Winter and update the team before the fighting started.

About an hour's fly time outside the base, Aes put the Aeon in full throttle, breaking formation. He hoped to reach the base about fifteen minutes before the strike teams, giving him ample time to provide intel and possibly distract the White Fang from the impending attack.

It didn't take long for Aes to find the ventilation shaft south of the base. Thick, thorny vegetation grew around the pit, and it looked natural enough, but the heat readings on the Aeon confirmed the vent was in use.

Aes floated the jet down the shaft, using the spotlights to search for an opening. Soon, he found one: a small natural opening into the cave, no wider than a few feet; plenty of room to sneak into the base's network of caves and rooms.

Leaving the jet to hover in the shaft, Aes looked at the scroll from his belt. Ten minutes: More than enough time to access the White Fang's private network.

Aes crept through the opening to a clearly manmade hallway. Metal doors lined all sides, and the hallway led to a fork leading left and right.

Near the fork, a panel glowed in the poor light. All Aes had to do was plug in the scroll and wait, according to Schwartz.

A program began to run on the scroll, and Aes leaned against a wall, vigilant, but unconcerned. It looked like the hallway hadn't been in use much, except for maintenance probably. Or better yet, maybe no one was home.

At just five minutes to arrival, the scroll activated a detailed map of the base. Immediately, a glowing red dot began to flash on the lower levels of the base. Aes turned on his radio.

"She's on the lower levels, in a small loading area on the north side. You'll land above her and fight to the lower levels. Demo team, make sure not to get in the evac team's way. Priority-"

Static filled his ear. Aes cursed and threw the ear piece to the ground. They knew he was here. The strike team was still four minutes out. Time to cause some trouble.

Aes unplugged the scroll and turned left on the hallway, sprinting. He had enough explosive gel that he could at least grab some attention, and then escape the way he came.

He turned another corner and nearly plowed straight into a crowd of Faunus. Each carried a rifle, and Grimm armor covered their faces and bodies.

Aes didn't wait for permission. He swung his blades down, hard, on the first Faunus. Punching, swinging, kicking, he didn't feel like giving the Faunus a chance to fire their weapons.

Three Faunus went down with blows to the head, and a fourth took a kick to the nose before the others started running. Aes managed to trip a fifth with is force field as the others ran off. He grabbed the Faunus by the neck and punched him hard in the stomach. The tough prosthetics would leave the soldier out of the action for a while.

Aes walked over a fallen soldier and continued down the hall. They knew he was here, but now the strike team was two minutes out-

A tremor shook the base. They had gotten here early, and no doubt they were firing on the docking bay to clear out the Faunus guarding it.

Aes smiled. Once they landed, the White Fang wouldn't be able to stop them. Aes paused and drew his blades as he heard the hiss of a door open from his right.

He dove as shots rained down where he had stood. Dam Faunus must not have been as out of it as he thought. He turned, only to see Adam Taurus blocking the way out.

He'd heard enough about Taurus to recognize him on sight. The wild red hair, the intricate mask, and of course Adam's chosen weapons, Wilt and Blush. Honestly, Aes didn't think Taurus would be here. His lucky day.

"Looks like you've got a flair for the theatrics kid, charging into my base like this." Taurus laughed.

"Says the drama queen with the wild getup," Aes replied, "If you're finished playing Grimm dress up, I've got work to do."

Taurus frowned.

"Ok kid, let's get to work."

Taurus opened fire with more rounds, and Aes quickly deflected them with his blades. The hardened metal had been specifically prepared by Schnee's science division, and Aes' speed was quick enough to strike down a few shots.

It was a short term solution, and Aes knew he was outmatched. He should have tried to keep him talking, but he was no good at that. He had to keep Taurus busy so his team could get Winter out.

Aes dove for the wall, his boots meeting metal as he used his aura to sprint along it. Taurus drew his sword to deflect the incoming attack, but he didn't expect a force field.

Aes' force field slammed into Taurus, driving him against the doorframe where he stood. Taurus sheathed his blade, only to fire it into Aes' face. The stinging pain nearly blinded Aes, as the hilt nailed his metal mask, sending it flying.

The blade spun in midair before Taurus caught it, bringing it down on the still staggering Aes.

Aes pushed back on his heels, barely missing the swing. Taurus didn't let up, and the only thing that saved Aes from the blinding speed was the narrow hallway's walls restricting their movements.

Aes needed to fall back, draw Taurus south to the Aeon to buy more time. He managed to gain some footing, deflecting Wilt's agile blows with his blades.

Soon, he found his rhythm. Years of sparing with soldiers and fighting Grimm came into play as Aes swung and parried Taurus' attacks.

Taurus soon became frustrated with the increasingly difficult prey. The dance became more and more intricate with each step the two took down the hall towards the ventilation shaft. They increased in speed, and Aes found his aura failing him, his force fields losing more and more power, despite being all the more needed.

Taurus began unloading rounds from Blush as they moved down the hallway. Thankfully, the narrow walls prevented Taurus from aiming properly, and Taurus knew that. He must be getting desperate to join the real fight in the north end of the base.

Aes knew he probably had a radio in his ear, and no doubt the Knights' best were making a mess of the White Fang's foot soldiers.

"I've had enough of this." Taurus grunted, and a heavy boot shoved Aes in the chest.

Aes lost his footing and came down hard on the concrete floor. He managed a glimpse behind him before he fell; he was only about thirty feet from the entrance to the vent.

Aes heard the whistle of the blade before he saw it. Taurus brought Wilt down for a killing blow on Aes' chest, but the prosthetics were faster.

Aes grabbed the blade with a bare metal hand. Scratching and grinding from his palm echoed through the hall.

"Not good enough," Taurus said as he brought Blush to bear. The barrel of the rifle pointed straight at Aes' face.

But Aes had more tricks up his sleeve, literally.

While the right forearm housed the sticky explosive launcher, the left kept a grapple gun. Aes didn't use it that often, mostly for tying cargo down, but now it was going to save him.

"Let's call it a tie," Aes smiled as he stretched his left arm over his head towards the vent. A bang and a whistle preceded a metallic clang as the grapple reached the wall of the vent. The tow cable pulled on Aes' body and he quickly dragged along the floor.

Aes tugged at Wilt, causing Taurus to stagger, and, thankfully, Blush missed his shot at Aes' chest by inches.

The grapple was designed to pull over 200 kilograms. Aes, being significantly less, flew over the chasm and slammed into the stone wall before plummeting down.

Again, Aes thanked his lucky stars. Aeon was waiting beneath. The impact was hard, but a few meters was better than a few hundred.

Aes clambered into the cockpit, and increased in altitude.

Surprisingly, Taurus was still standing there, weapons in hand, and frowning at the jet. No doubt, he had expected to watch Aes fall to his death. He was disappointed.

He was more disappointed by Aeon's chain gun. Aes wasted no time in opening fire, showering the opening with bullets and smoke.

Taurus leapt clear of the devastation, landing gracefully on Aeon's top side.

In a smooth ark, Taurus brought Wilt crashing through the cockpit windshield. Again, Aes grabbed the blade. He yanked hard, then shoved the blade up, the hilt hitting Taurus square in the temple.

"See how you like it!" Aes shouted before pushing the cockpit hatch open.

Taurus was still on uneasy footing, and the hatch's corner caught his shoulder. He fell back onto Aeon, trying desperately to scramble to his feet.

Aes was on him, punching and kicking. He had withdrawn his blades to operate Aeon, and as he drew his fist back to again unsheathe them, Taurus took a wild swing.

Wilt cut straight through the prosthetic right arm, severing it at the shoulder.

It didn't really hurt; it wouldn't until they opened the nerve endings to install a new arm. But Aes had bigger problems at the moment.

Taurus found his footing and swung again. Aes barely had time to block the blow with his left arm. Metal screeched as Wilt sparked against the prosthetic.

Aeon rocked as the two exchanged blows on top of the hovering jet. Taurus overextended himself to reach Aes, and he took the opportunity to dive at his opponent.

Aes swung at Taurus' face, his blade now inside the defenses, scratching the detailed mask. The blade caught a crack in the mask, and it flew off or Taurus' face into the abyss.

Aes could see the reckless anger and now fiery rage in Taurus' eyes. He slammed a boot into Aes' chest, and he fell back into the cockpit.

Taurus again brought Wilt to bear for a killing blow on the sprawled out Aes, but he had forgotten they were still on a jet.

Aes punched a panel with his remaining hand. Aeon immediately buckled, dropping altitude and swinging wildly. Taurus stumbled, and lost his footing.

Aes didn't hang around to see if Taurus survived the fall. He rolled around to a sitting position, and punched the accelerator. The radio on Aeon now buzzed.

"Strike team has secured Winter Schnee, outbound now. All forces, fall back. Detonation imminent in thirty seconds."

Aeon raced from the vent as the countdown came to zero. The vent belched flames and debris as Aes circled overhead. Though panting heavily, Aes breathed a sigh of relief.

His victory was short lived however; he looked down only to see the small speck of Adam Taurus climbing free of the ruin.


	2. Volume 2

The rest of the trip was uneventful.

The four aircraft flew high and fast, arriving at Vacuo before sunrise.

Aes didn't even see Winter when she left. He stayed aboard the Aeon as the team refueled the ships and took off for base at Vytal Desert's southern end.

Schwartz was not happy about the state of Aes' prosthetics.

"You idiot. You're gonna pay for that when they have to install new ones."

"I'm going to bed," Aes replied.

"Not so fast," Schwartz interrupted, "Schnee wants to talk first."

Aes again entered the comms room, this time, battered, blooded, and without a right arm.

"You disobeyed my orders." Schnee began right off the bat, "Destroying that base was a risk I did not want you to take. Normally, I would be more angry with you, but I just received word my daughter is arriving safely in Atlas in the next ten minutes. And, hearing of your injuries, I feel your next surgery will be punishment enough."

Aes scowled and said nothing. He was tired, and didn't really feel like a lecture at the moment.

"That said, I've made the arrangements for you to attend Beacon. You'll be starting this upcoming term, which begins in one week, and you'll be able to compete at the Vytal Festival Tournament at the term's end."

Aes remained silent.

"I've already made arrangements for your prosthetic surgery in Vale. You can head their immediately, receive the surgery, and then head to Beacon."

Aes frowned. Schnee was using the prosthetics to force Aes to head to Vale.

"It takes days to recover from that surgery, and it takes weeks for the nerve endings to adapt. I can't fight like that. Combat school isn't exactly the best environment for recovery."

"I've considered this, and I've got the best doctors in the world on their way to Vale as we speak. They've found a way around the problem, and you should be fully recovered before the term starts if you have the surgery before tomorrow."

Aes shut the communication down. Nothing else needed to be said. After packing and refueling, along with a brief 'so long' to his friends, Aes boarded Aeon and flew for Vale, and Beacon Academy.

* * *

Aes didn't bother replacing the mask. There wasn't any desert in Vale, and the mask was too reminiscent of the White Fang's uniform.

The surgery went well. The new prosthetics were far more up to date than the old ones. The metal was both harder and lighter; the blades where longer and sharper. The grapple had increased range, and the sticky launcher could carry more rounds.

The doctors knew their trade, and Schnee spared no expense. Aes felt better just hours after the surgery, and his hands even obeyed his nerve commands enough to fly Aeon manually. Just as Schnee had said, he would be combat ready by the time the term started in two days.

Aes had an appointment with Professor Ozpin in an hour, and he was grateful. He'd heard about Ozpin, and was anxious to meet him. He also wanted to get settled in and get his bearings of Beacon.

The academy spanned a large campus of several acres, and Aes, ever on alert, wanted to get to know it as soon as possible. It was combat school, and he wanted to be ready.

The garage underneath beacon was a little tight, but he managed to squeeze Aeon into a rather large parking spot. Unfortunately, it wasn't exactly small or subtle compared to the rest of the garage.

Thankfully, only one person was there to see him land.

A beautiful girl, wearing a yellow tank top and the shortest black shorts Aes had ever seen, was working on a bright yellow motorcycle.

Motorcycles were temperamental and unstable; Aes had never seen one in the desert.

Conversely, Aes hadn't had the opportunity to see a lot of pretty girls in the desert either. The girl swung back cascading blonde hair and smiled. Her lilac eyes seemed to glimmer even through the canopy of the cockpit.

Not wanting to crash in front of her, Aes lowered the landing gear and gingerly set the jet down. He opened the underneath cargo hold and climbed through the underbelly's escape hatch.

The girl continued to watch him as he grabbed his duffle bag with is shiny new prosthetics, of which Aes was now sheepishly aware.

"Nice ride!" the girl said, smiling.

"Thanks," Aes didn't know what to say, "It's a new model."

"Really? What kind?"

"It was built by the Schnee company. They call it the Aeon."

"Nice! My roommate here is a Schnee. Weiss."

Aes had heard Weiss was attending Beacon. Mr. Schnee had never brought it up before, and Aes didn't really care enough to pry. Now he cared.

"Yeah, I work… for the Schnees from time to time." Aes almost forgot that the Knights' work was supposed to be under wraps, and not talked about openly.

"Huh, well that's cool. Where are you from?"

Aes was starting to get flushed from all the attention he was getting from this girl. He'd never seen a girl so pretty. Her bright eyes, her contagious smile, her… everything else. Aes was struggling to maintain his composure.

"Vacuo." He managed to say without cracking his voice.

"Huh. Well, I'm Yang," she said, still beaming, "It's nice to meet you!"

She extended a hand, and Aes paused. No one really shook hands in Vacuo, and he'd met some villagers that hadn't exactly responded well to his prosthetics, but he didn't want to be rude. He took Yang's hand.

"Aes. Nice to meet you," Aes replied. He looked at his scroll and realized he still had an appointment.

"I'd better be going. I'm supposed to meet Professor Ozpin in his office. I don't suppose you know where-"

"Oh sure! Just take the elevator right there to the main lobby, then take the second elevator up the main building's tower. You can't miss it."

"Thanks. Maybe all see you around?"

Aes tried not to blush as Yang winked at him.

"Count on it. Nice to meet you Aes!"

Aes smiled at her and walked into the elevator as Yang went back to work on her bike. He'd forgotten about the whole "making friends" aspect of his combat education, and he realized that he might actually like it at Beacon.

* * *

Ozpin sipped his tea as he looked across the desk at the young man sitting before him. A black jumpsuit, dark hair, dark eyes, light skin, and two heavily modified, unique, weaponized prosthetic arms. How fitting that his name be associated with the color of a metal.

Ozpin set the cup down on the saucer resting on his desk. The cup in front of Aes remained untouched. He breathed deeply before speaking.

"Young man, why do you want to attend my academy? I've read your transcripts and the, frankly, beaming review given to me by Mr. Schnee of the Schnee Dust Company, and I can't help but wonder if you are not already a proficient warrior, despite your age."

Aes tried to meet the headmaster's gaze. He was out of his element, but comfort was something he had learned to live without.

"There is always more to learn. I came here seeking accreditation as a huntsman in the hopes that I can help the people living outside Vacuo's city walls. A lot of people need help in this world professor."

"No doubt. Yet, I can't help but wonder if something else lies under the surface…" Ozpin trailed off and took another sip of his tea.

"Everything's in my transcripts sir. I worked for a mercenary group in the desert, and the only way to get government support is through huntsman certification."

Ozpin continued to gaze over his cup of tea, silent.

"And tell me, why would one of the most powerful men in Remnant take such an interest in a mercenary group, sparing no expense for a single warrior?"

Aes shrugged. Honestly, he didn't know, and he didn't care.

"Mr. Schnee's business is his own. Transportation between the kingdoms is harder than ever these days. It's probably just cheaper to hire local man-power to protect his assets."

"Indeed." Ozpin took another sip of tea.

The great second hand of the tower's clock moved slowly; it's ticks seemed to echo like thunder through the silent office.

Ozpin sighed.

"Aes, my academy was built on the principles of training powerful, honorable warriors, warriors who will fight to defend this world and its inhabitants, all of its inhabitants, from the creatures of Grimm. Is that what you want to become?"

Aes was unsure if Ozpin meant the warrior or the Grimm, but he nodded anyways. Aes was confident that he was smart, at least smarter than the other soldiers he had met, but he felt like an invalid in the presence of this well-spoken scholar.

Ozpin sipped his tea again, and smiled.

"Have you ever fought against humans?"

The question caught Aes off-guard, but only for a second.

"Fighting is in human nature. Asking if I've fought with someone is like asking if I breathe."

"Fair enough. Have you ever fought with a Faunus?"

Aes was more surprised by this question. He didn't think Ozpin to be a racist.

"I don't see much difference between humans and Faunus. Yes, I've fought against both, but it really doesn't matter to me. Both throw punches, and both fall flat when they get hit."

Ozpin sighed and sipped his tea again. How much tea was in that dam cup?

They sat in silence for a few moments, before Ozpin finally broke the silence.

"Young man, what do you really want in life?"

Aes thought for a moment. He didn't really know. He cared about the villagers outside the kingdoms, but when he thought about it, they had never really cared for him.

He didn't have any real friends among them, no one he trusted. It made sense; not all mercenaries were what he would call "good people," and some did more harm than good. Besides, the villagers didn't really care for his prosthetics, so it was best to just avoid them.

Ultimately, Aes thought that fighting the Grimm was all he cared about because that was all he did. He hadn't really thought of much else, until now.

"Professor Ozpin, I honestly can't say," Aes began, "All my life, I've fought the Grimm. It's there on the transcript. Everything has been about that point. I haven't given much thought to anything else."

Again, Ozpin sipped his tea.

"You are young, Aes. If you had knowledge of everything you wanted in life right at this moment, I would be far more concerned than I am now. You have a lot of time to live through; take advantage of it. Take some advice from an old huntsman; don't spend every waking moment trying to fight the Grimm. Enjoy your time at Beacon. I am glad you are here, despite the turbulent circumstances in which we find ourselves. Feel free to stop by anytime and talk. My door is always open."

Ozpin smiled, and Aes took the cue to stand and leave. The two shook hands; Ozpin didn't hesitate to firmly grasp the metal counterpart.

"Professor Goodwitch will give you your new uniform and update your scroll. Your scroll contains your map, schedule, student handbook, and student ID while at Beacon, and it is best for you to keep it with you at all times. Good luck Aes."

Ozpin smiled as Aes left the room.

The young man has been treated as a living weapon his whole life. It would be interesting to see what he could do when given knowledge and a new environment.

* * *

The stern Professor Goodwitch spoke little, only instructing Aes in matter-of-fact tones when necessary. All of his uniforms and school supplies had been paid for in bulk by Mr. Schnee, and were packed neatly in a single trunk, prepared by the school staff.

Unlike most of Beacon's students, Aes would be in a small dorm room by himself, without a team. Each student who attended Beacon, and for that matter most other schools, usually broke off into assigned teams of four for the duration of their education.

"Supplemental" was the word used to describe Aes' future educational experience. Schnee didn't mind spending a small fortune to get Aes in, but apparently he wanted him circulated out and back to Vacuo with certification as quickly as possible.

The small room had a single desk, a bed, three shelves, and a window. Bathrooms were down the hall, and under no circumstances was anyone else allowed in his room.

The room was normally reserved for school employees, but with the Vytal Festival fast approaching, all the dorms were occupied. Apparently, students from all over Remnant were in attendance, and Aes had been lucky just to find a room available on campus.

He didn't mind. Clean, personal space had been hard to come by in Vacuo, and the newfound luxury put Aes in a good mood.

He didn't bother to put on his uniform; apparently, it was only necessary to wear at school functions such as class. While he was technically a student at Beacon, he felt more akin to the Vacuo students, who weren't required to wear uniforms.

Instead, he explored the campus in his black jumpsuit, using the scroll to navigate. He checked the lecture halls, the gym, the dining hall, the amphitheater, the ballroom, the gardens, and even the massive Cross Continental Transmit Tower.

Aes quickly realized that this was going to be more boring than he thought. Maybe that's why all the students had teams; at least they'd have someone to help them avoid the sheer dullness that was higher education.

Aes checked on the Aeon in the garage, and was disappointed to find Yang and her bike no longer there. He did a systems check on the jet, locked it up, and returned to his room.

Aes spent most of the next day at the library terminals.

If he was to fight against other students, both in class and at the tournament, he would need to do some research.

He scrolled through the names of students in the directory. He didn't recognize many of the names, but a few stuck out to him.

Pyrrha Nikos, a first year student and member of team JNPR, graduated at the top of her class in Sanctum and won the Mistral regional tournament four times. Apparently she was even featured on the front of a cereal box.

She was definitely the one to be worried about when it came to sparring. He would have to remember her.

Weiss Schnee, also a first year student and a member of team RWBY. Aes already regretted not having asked Mr. Schnee about her. He needed all the intelligence he could get, and first-hand accounts were better than brief records and files.

Weiss was on the same team as Yang, and the reports said that the team overall was ranked highly in the school for its combat prowess.

She was left handed, and apparently a bit of a rebel, based on her public record and unique hair style. She used dust as her primary weapon, big surprise, and rarely returned to her family in Atlas, based on flight records.

Coco Adel, an older student and leader of team CFVY, wielded a Gatling gun not dissimilar to Aeon's chain gun. How did she even lift something like that, much less us it in battle?

The more Aes read, the more nervous he became. These fighters were among the best graduates in the world, each with a transcript from prestigious combat schools across the four kingdoms.

When things got dicey in the desert, Aes could always count on his instincts, and the ability to fight dirty. In a sparring situation, or even just a class, his confidence waned.

He was used to fighting foot soldiers and stupid monsters, not trained warriors. If his fight with Taurus was any indication, Aes was going to have a tough time. He turned back to the computer.

Yang Xiao Long, member of team RWBY, used two shotgun-like weapons attached to her forearms. Yang and her sister, Ruby Rose, were from Patch, an island off the coast of Vale.

Since Yang focused so much on using her fists, she might be weaker to kicking attacks-

"Like what you see?"

Aes froze, and immediately he felt his face going flushed. He turned only to see Yang standing next to him, grinning from ear to ear.

Two girls stood behind her, Ruby Rose and Weiss Schnee, both now looking straight at him.

"Umm… just doing some research before the semester starts!" Aes laughed nervously, simultaneously closing the computer browser.

"Oh! You haven't met Ruby yet! This is Ruby," Yang grabbed Ruby and dragged her forward. She had short hair, a red hood, and uniquely enough, grey eyes, which intrigued Aes. That wasn't something you saw every day.

"…And this is Weiss."

Of course, Aes didn't need an introduction. He immediately spotted Weiss for who she was based on the white hair, sharp eyes, and snowflake logo branded on her clothes. The scowl however was new.

"Guys this is Aes!"

"Hi! It's nice to meet you. I'm Ruby," Aes shook her hand.

"Charmed," Weiss said, with apparent lack of enthusiasm, "Now let's get going."

"Aw come on Weiss. Play nice! Aes is new in town, and apparently he knows your dad!"

Weiss immediately turned her head; a skeptical look seemed to scan Aes up and down.

"Likely," Weiss scoffed, "but my father does work with… a lot of people. Now hurry, I want to get back."

"To talk to Blake?" Ruby asked, "She has been acting weird since last semester."

"You mean the Faunus that passed by here a few minutes ago?"

The three girls' jaws dropped. Stunned, they gaped at Aes as if he had just exploded.

"What?"

"How?! How did you know?" Weiss questioning sounded more like an accusation than anything else.

Aes had read Blake Belladonna's files, and what he had found troubled him. She was from outside the kingdoms of Remnant as well, but the fact that he hadn't heard of a huntress in training as skilled as Blake made him curious.

As for Blake being a Faunus, he could just tell.

"Why? Doesn't everyone know?"

"No you dunce! And if you tell anyone ever again, you'll have to deal with us." Weiss stormed off.

"Uh, nice to meet you!" Ruby followed after Weiss.

Aes, now red in the face, looked down in shame.

"Sorry about that. Weiss can be, a little high spirited." Yang smiled, "So! Doing some 'research' I see?"

"Yeah; I've never had to spar with anyone before. Not on this level. I thought I would at least do some research. What brings your team up here?"

"We were playing Remnant. You ever played?"

Aes had played some board games with the other soldiers. They had a worn copy of Remnant the Game in the caves, and every soldier always wanted to play Vacuo for some reason. Personally, he thought Mistral always had the edge on the other kingdoms.

"Yeah, I've played before, but I didn't come to Beacon to play board games," Aes smiled.

"Ah lighten up," Yang playfully punched Aes in the arm. A metallic clang rang out, much to Yang's surprise.

"Wow. Sturdy."

"Yup, top-of-the-line. So Blake then," Aes still had more questions, "She's the fourth member of your team?"

Aes already knew the answer; it was public record, but he wanted to get Yang talking for more intel.

"Yup. Me, Ruby, Weiss and Blake. That's us!"

"It's hard to imagine the four of you getting along together…" Aes looked at the door where Weiss had gone.

"Yeah, we've had our ups and downs, but we make it work. What about you? Have you been assigned a team?"

"I'm a bit of a lone wolf," Aes winked, "I don't mind taking on the baddies myself, but if I got to work with girls like you, I wouldn't mind it so much."

Yang laughed. Her smile and laugh were contagious and hearty.

"For sure! Hey, what's your schedule like for tomorrow?" Yang grabbed Aes' scroll.

"Looks like we have the same schedule. If you want, we can come find you at breakfast and show you where the rooms are?"

"That'd be great. I can't wait."

"Sounds like a plan!"

Yang walked to the door, but turned and winked as she opened it.

"By the way, you're going to have to take me up in that jet one of these days."

* * *

Classes proceeded normally, or at least they seemed to; Aes didn't have much to go on. What little education he'd received came at the hands of electronic tutors and Schwartz.

He had plenty of combat experience, and Aes found he enjoyed history. Technical knowledge and skill in writing and mathematics proved to be more difficult, and Aes found himself working and studying in his room more often than not.

Most mornings, he would eat breakfast before class either with team RWBY or team JNPR. All of them treated Aes with respect and comradery, and they were happy to sit by him in class, but ultimately Aes didn't talk much, feeling much more comfortable with observing.

Of course, some mornings he skipped breakfast to work out at the gym or check last night's homework. His grades weren't perfect, but he was catching up.

He sometimes studied in the library with Juane Arc and Pyrrha Nikos, of team JNPR, both of whom were happy to lend him a hand in his lessons.

Juane was about at his speed in terms of schoolwork, so it was nice to have him to study with. Pyrrha kept both of them on track, helping them understand difficult concepts and study key elements of the lessons.

On the weekends, Aes tried to get down to the garage and do maintenance on the Aeon. Sometimes Yang would come down and work on her motorcycle, Bumblebee, and sometimes she would come just to look at the Aeon and talk.

Aes found out that Yang and Ruby were actually half-sisters, and Yang's mother had left them before Ruby was born. Ruby's mother, Summer Rose, unfortunately had passed on many years prior, when Yang was still a young girl.

The two would talk about a wide variety of subjects: school, mechanics, fighting. Yet every time Aes brought up the Faunus or the White Fang, Yang would sort of trail off and go silent.

Aes got along well with Blake, but he never brought up the Faunus around her. He was careful to tread lightly, but that didn't stop him from doing some digging.

Most of what he could find in the library's online archives didn't help him much beyond general historical information.

He was, however, able to access the Schnee Dust Company records, and found that the train incident committed by Adam Taurus almost eight months ago was done with a team of two individuals, both Faunus, Taurus, and a girl.

Aes had known about the train job. He had felt the effects of no supplies coming in, and had seen the results of underequipped soldiers on the field of battle.

The new information to Aes concerned the second suspect. Most of the images had been lost in the conflict, but security personnel had managed to dig up data from the wreckage that revealed the vandal to be female, Faunus, and almost certainly an adolescent.

Another incident in Vale's downtown area sparked further interest in team RWBY. The area was becoming treacherous at night from a series of robberies, but this incident involved something bigger.

Apparently one of Ironwood's mechs got loose in the downtown area, but was stopped by the Huntsmen, or so the news said. It was a new model, the Atlesian Paladin-290, developed in part by the Schnee Dust Company, the same people who made the Aeon.

Ironwood and the Schnees were no pushovers; how on Remnant anyone managed to steal such a weapon was beyond Aes' comprehension. He chalked it up to human error and mismanagement.

Professor Goodwitch had kept Aes out of sparring for the first few weeks, and Aes was somewhat grateful. The time allowed him to observe and catch up with the class in terms of aura and control. It also allowed him time to get used to the new prosthetics for combat.

However, Aes was getting anxious. He needed practice. He was attending Beacon to learn high level combat, not sit on the sidelines.

Two weeks had gone by since the term began when the Professor finally called him into the ring.

"Mr. Aes, I think it might be time to see how you handle yourself in combat."

Aes suited into his black jumpsuit and utility belt. Unlike the stiff school uniform he had grown accustom to wearing, the jumpsuit gave him flexibility, and exposed his prosthetic arms.

His opponent was Cardin Winchester. He'd never even spoken to the boy, but he gathered Cardin was a bit of a braggart and generally not worth the effort of speaking to.

Apparently, he and team JNPR had exchanged blows last semester, but Aes hadn't bothered to pry.

Cardin wore heavy steel armor and wielded an oversized mace with a dust gem in the center.

The boy would hit heavy, but he would be slow. The trick was to avoid getting hit in the face. Aes found that was a pretty good advice to follow in battle.

The two boys squared off in the circular sparring ring in the middle of the amphitheater. Aes could see his friends sitting in the stands high above his head. He'd never cared how he looked in combat before this moment.

Cardin practiced swinging his mace a few times, the two locked eyes, and the match began.

Cardin charged in headlong, and Aes braced himself for the assault. However, Cardin stopped a few meters short, instead slamming his mace into the ground.

The floor shook from the impact as explosive dust charged towards Aes. He dove away and summersaulted back into a fighting stance. He drew out his blades, but still stood his ground, waiting for Cardin to charge again.

Aes knew he couldn't hurt Cardin while the boy was outside his sphere of influence, and he hoped Cardin would be foolish enough to be drawn in to his range.

Aes hoped to fight this match smartly and slowly. He didn't want to show what he was truly capable of to an audience of potential opponents.

Cardin charged forward, but not recklessly. Aes noted the careful even pacing of his run, and the fact that Cardin was never off balance.

Cardin swung his mace, and the blow was far faster than Aes had anticipated. He struggled to deflect the blows, but soon he found his rhythm.

In a single instant, Aes countered the mace with the underside of his right hand blade, and struck at the other end of the mace with his left.

The mace went flying out of Cardin's hands, and he leapt back to avoid Aes' weapons.

Now the tide had turned. Aes moved to position himself between Cardin and the fallen mace.

Cardin charged forward, hoping no doubt to break Aes' blockade. Cardin managed to dodge his blades, and Aes quickly weighed his options.

Schwartz had warned Aes against using his aura and semblance too often. The gifts were rare, and keeping them secret from the enemy for as long as possible was ideal.

Instead, Aes opted for the grapple gun.

With a hiss and a snap, the grapple snagged Cardin's ankle, and he fell flat just feet from his mace.

Aes reeled him in like a fish, and using the momentum of the grapple swung Cardin into the air. A swift kick to his chest sent Cardin sprawling across the floor.

Cardin came up again, looking angry and flustered, but still composed enough to ready his stance.

Aes believed in fighting fair, sort of. He withdrew his blades, and put his fists up in a similar stance.

Out of the corner of his eye, Aes could see Professor Goodwitch's disapproving glance, but she said nothing.

Cardin made a swing, and his knuckles met the hard steel of Aes' left forearm. A metal ding echoed in the chamber.

Aes swung with his right, a little harder than he should have. He connected with Cardin, square in the jaw, and the boy crumpled to the ground out cold.

Aes was genuinely surprised, and a little embarrassed. That was a brawl, not a sparring match, and Cardin was unarmed. It wasn't really a fair fight.

"And that's the match," Professor Goodwitch said as she entered the ring, "Mr. Aes, your methods are… unconventional, but we will definitely be looking forward to seeing more of what you can achieve in combat. Now, who would like to spar next?"

Yang immediately sprang up, smiling and sticking a hand in the air.

"Very well Miss Long. Who should your opponent be-"

"Actually Professor, I'd like to spar again if I could. I haven't had any practice in the last few weeks, and I think I've still got some energy after that last match."

Aes smiled as he locked eyes with Yang. Her smile grew even wider and her eyebrows narrowed. Challenge accepted.

"Mr. Aes, your prosthetics are still new, and I would hesitate to overtax them, but perhaps another match would be acceptable… given the circumstances." Professor Goodwitch made a sideways glance at the still out-cold Cardin.

After Cardin was moved from the arena, Yang and Aes squared off.

In a swift motion, Yang cocked her shot guantlets; Ember Celica, she called them.

In response, Aes smiled and unsheathed his blades.

The next few seconds were a blur. The two charged to the side, each circling to the right. Yang fired off several explosive rounds, the sound of banging echoing with the clacking of empty shells hitting the floor.

Aes deflected some shots with his blades, others he let zoom past him. One burned his check as it whistled by.

He remembered reading her file, that she was trained in hand to hand combat. Kicking would be his strategy, but he would have to get in close for that.

His sticky launcher popped out of his right forearm; so much for keeping some of his weaponry a secret.

He launched a volley of sticky explosives around Yang's feet, but she moved too quickly. The detonations barely caught her heels as she dove and spun back into position.

Aes sprinted forward, leaping high and coming down with the force behind his right blade.

Yang deflected the blow with her gauntlets, and proceeded to punch at her opponent.

Aes was too fast for her, and too close in range. He was able to deflect and push off her wrists with each punch, resulting in a round going wide past him.

Finally, she pushed forward with her left and drew back with her right. The blow caught Aes square on the cheek, but not before he fired dust explosives onto Yang's boot.

The resulting explosion sent them both flying. Aes' ears were ringing, but he'd been around explosives for a long time; he recovered quickly and was on his feet in an instant.

Yang was up too, and wasted no time launching more rounds downfield.

Aes was sprinting to avoid the rounds coming at him, and through the smoke, he could see Yang's glowing blonde hair, and eyes now blazing red.

She charged at him and leapt high in the air, coming down with all her force behind her right arm.

In that instant, Aes froze. Maybe he just didn't want to reveal his semblance so quickly, or maybe his prosthetics weren't as fast as he thought, or maybe his instincts weren't as good as he thought. Either way, the last thing he saw was an up close and personal view of Yang's fist before everything went dark.


End file.
